Recovering From Cycle Mistake - How To Add New Fish? Also, Ph?

[Florin Andrei]

40 liter aquarium, a couple months old. Had 3 tetras and 1 small pleco (I suspect not a real pleco, but a similar but smaller species).

Due to my ignorance and the bad advice I received, I didn't change the water during cycling. Also, I changed the filter cartridge. Then the fish were over-fed. Results: the fish got sick, lost their fins and tails, got small white dots on their bodies, became lethargic. 1 tetra and the little pleco died.

I followed the good advice received here and did massive water changes. Reduced feeding. Kept doing this for a few days. Started doing water tests - now the ammonia and nitrites are zero, nitrates pretty low. Now the 2 surviving tetras are active, the white dots disappeared, they're darting to and fro chasing each other, the way they did before. Of course, the fins and tails have yet to grow back to their former sizes. See the test results:

water test results

Questions:

1. I would like to repopulate the aquarium to its former census - add 1 tetra and 1 small whatever-it-is-that-looks-like-a-miniature-pleco (the kids call it "little suckerfish" because of the shape of its mouth and the fact that it likes hanging on the walls like a living suction cup). Should I wait a while? Or can I do it now, given that ammonia and nitrites are zero and the signs of infection are gone?

2. I'm kind of detail-oriented so the 7.6 pH bothers me. I was told to not mess with chemicals, but instead ignore it or just add a chunk of bogwood - it acidifies the water naturally, and provides habitat for the little bottom dweller. I kind of like the idea, since the box is still pretty empty. Assuming I manage to procure it, probably from the LFS, any advice regarding it? Preparations? Anything I should worry about?

 

[kporteo]

Try a week of testing your ammonia and nitrite every 12hrs, if both sets of readings give you a 0ppm for the week then your tank is cycled....woohoo!! What type of tetras do you have? There is a general rule of aquariums, 1 inch of adult fish per gallon, you have a 10 gallon tank, so 10 inches of fish! Youl need at least 6 tetras for them to feel secure.

As for your sucker fish, it was probably a pleco, i have a bristlenose pleco (in my avatar pic), which, when I bought it was about an inch.

Why does your pH bother you at 7.6?
K

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Plec's actully NEED the wood to help digest their food so will be a good idea. If you get it from a safe place ie Pet shop not in the woods, place the wood in a bucket of warm water for say 3-4 days, this will take the tannis from the wood and stop your tank going like a brown tea colour. it will do no harm at all even if it does in fact will more then likely benifit the fish as long as you dont mind the stain in teh water.

DO NOT boil the wood it will losen the fibres and it will leech for months